Assessment of parental acceptance of a potential cytomegalovirus vaccine for adolescent females

The development of a vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been designated as a high priority and adolescent females are a likely target population for CMV vaccination. A self-administered, internet-based survey was developed using constructs from the Health Belief Model to identify factors that may be associated with parental acceptance of a CMV vaccine for their adolescent daughters. Data from 516 parents were analyzed, the majority of whom were female, white, and college educated. Parental acceptance of a CMV vaccine was generally high. Perceived benefits of vaccine were independently associated with vaccine acceptance while history of previous vaccine refusal, concerns about safety and cost of the vaccine were negatively associated. These findings provide initial data on factors that are likely to influence parental acceptance of a CMV vaccine for adolescent girls.